by
Phil Beene, Co-founder / Nudge Coach
In this post I’ll walk you through how to structure a personal coaching program for your one on one coaching clients and set it up for scale using tips from our most engaging coaching programs.
The creative process can be a beast. For anybody, not just you if you’re struggling with the many layers of how to structure a cohesive coaching program experience from your knowledge, expertise and existing content in various forms.
You may have questions:
I have some great information, but how do all the pieces fit together into a great experience for my clients?
How can I make it engaging?
How can I make it scale?
Honestly, if you’re asking these ☝️ questions, you’re on the right track.
But here’s the thing. You can be the most awe inspiring, best one on one coach there is, but that doesn’t necessarily make you a natural program designer.
It’s just a different skill set. And that’s okay. As my business partner always says...
““Specialization is a beautiful thing.””
Program building: Do It Yourself (DIY) or Done For You (DFY)
If you’d rather let someone else take your content and design an engaging coaching program for you, I’ve got some friends with a Done For You solution that’ll build it right into your Nudge app.
But if you’re ready to do it yourself, the rest of this post will help you get an effective and engaging one on one coaching program off the ground faster..
After reading this you’ll have a specific framework you can use to create your own personal coaching program.
If you’re starting from scratch with program creation and need help developing and mapping out the content for your coaching program, I’d recommend also checking out this post to help you more quickly create a new coaching program from scratch.
But first, a few shoutouts so you know where this wisdom I get to share today came from.
How I know this coaching program structure works
First a shout-out to our team at Nudge Coach who together virtually invented online coaching.
Our crew has had hands-on experience launching hundreds if not thousands of online coaching programs at this point, and some of my thoughts are a collection of learnings from their innovative ideas.
Especially Dr. Steve Feryer-Melk, Mac Gambill and Sarah Philipp for their experience.
Secondly, a special mention goes to Britney Kennedy and OnPoint Nutrition, who are a long-time client, and who we interviewed on how to build an online coaching business early last year.
The structure of the coaching program template I’ll share with you at the end of this post is loosely based on how OnPoint and a few of our other successful one on one coaching businesses structure their programs.
That said, the template is not specific to any particular type of one on one coaching program; it can be used for health coaching, business coaching, life coaching, performance coaching, you name it.
Essential elements of one on one coaching programs
Remember, we’re focusing here on setting things up for successful personal coaching relationships here, but you’re more interested in scaling in a more programmatic way, this post on how to set up group coaching programs will be a great next read for you.
Not all personalized coaching programs are the same, but there are several standard pieces you need to build into your coaching system to avoid skipping essential steps in a client’s journey.
1. Welcome Experience
What does a great welcome experience look like? For one, it feels as human as possible to deepen trust and connection. This starts with client onboarding and is carried forward through the entire personal coaching journey.
When possible for personal coaching, this means onboarding a client onto the app during a live video conference via Zoom, Google Meet, FaceTime, etc. so you can personally address any fears, concerns or hesitations, and confirm understanding when you set expectations for what’s to come.
The second most engaging option is a brief recorded video walking through the steps of downloading your coaching app and getting connected to you.
Once a new client gets into your coaching app, there should be a “Welcome Card” there waiting for them answering 3 critical questions.
Where you’re taking them and simple steps for how they’ll get there
How you expect them to use the app
What they can expect from you via the app
Remember, it’s very likely your new client has never worked with someone through an app like this before. So it’s natural for them to have questions or hesitations.
Repeat this mantra to yourself as you create your client onboarding experience: “Clarity creates confidence.”
2. Learning Content (Cards)
Your clients may be unique, but everyone desires to grow. Through your personal coaching relationship, you’ll naturally need to deliver content designed to educate your clients so they can grow in their knowledge and confidence with your subject matter as they improve their habits.
This educational content is where you can start to set up and structure even the most personal coaching program in Nudge to be more scalable.
Learning Content Cards are a lot like single modules in an online course and may include text, video, images and more.
When you’re planning out your coaching programs from scratch, this is where you’ll likely start.
Once you build this learning content into the Nudge platform, you can build it into full Sequences that deliver automatically to clients based on a pre-set schedule, or assign each individual module (or Nudge Card) in real time based on individual client needs.
This dynamic delivery system was created because human beings are dynamic and may need different things at different times. Take advantage of it.
Here are screenshots of a few generic content card templates that you can also access within your Nudge account.
If you don’t have a Nudge account yet, you can create one here and start setting up your coaching program for free.
3. Client Assessment / Tracking
The third essential piece probably won’t surprise you. In personal coaching relationships, accountability is king.
It’s inexorably tied up in the reason anyone would desire to work one-on-one with a coach. The good news is, this is one of the core reasons the Nudge platform was built. It’s an area where online coaching (through a mobile app), and Nudge coaching specifically, provides massive advantages over more traditional coaching relationships.
To generalize, there are a couple different types of client assessments and tracking protocols that are essential to successful personal coaching relationships.
#1 Weekly Check-ins
It doesn’t HAVE to be weekly, but the essential idea is to have a standard set of information you’re collecting on a regular basis to help you assess how each client is progressing.
I should say - to assess how your client perceives they are progressing.
It’s a bit reductionist to put it this way, but you’ll get more out of asking “how they feel” than “how it is”. If you want to dive deeper into weekly check-ins, check out this recorded session on getting the most out of your check-ins with Laura Poburan, she’s a boss (and deeply knowledgeable on the subject).
#2 Habit Tracking
We’ve traditionally seen this most often in health-focused programs, but that’s all changing.
More and more business coaches, life coaches, and niche programs of all kinds are incorporating simple daily or weekly habit tracking into their programs to provide accountability, but also provide the added value of being able to proactively prove their paying attention and care about clients along their journey.
You can imagine how comforting it feels to a client to get an unprompted message from a coach or practitioner proactively complimenting them on specific progress towards a goal. It’s powerful.
4. Personal Communication (Nudges)
This is not part of the coaching program or system you “build-in” to your Nudge app.
There’s nothing automated about it in a high impact, high engagement personal coaching program.
But it is absolutely essential to consider throughout your planning.
Plan out and allot time to regularly jump into each individual client account, assess their engagement (Card opens) and progress (data tracked), and send brief, personal messages that motivate and call-to-action.
Depending on your program this could be a weekly ritual, every other week, or even a daily part of your life. What’s essential is building YOUR unique coaching system into the app and the way it’s used by yourself and your team that aligns with your ideal clients and their ideal outcomes.
Now, speaking of creating YOUR coaching system, let’s zoom out to look at our one on one coaching program template, and how to structure your own program in Nudge.
How to structure your personal coaching program
The image below lays out a template loosely modeled after some of the most engaging and impactful personal coaching programs running on Nudge.
Let’s take a look and quickly note some of the essentials mentioned above.
The Welcome Experience and setting expectations is clearly noted on Day 1.
Learning Content Cards on various topics appear weekly throughout the client journey.
Daily Tracking occurs each week, and Client Assessments appear at the beginning and end of each 5 week cycle (Day 2 and Day 29).
The Upcoming Session you can see weekly on Days 5, 12, 19, 26 and 33 are Cards being delivered as reminders for their weekly one on one coaching session.
This is how SOME Personal Communication can be mapped into programming, but one on one coaching cannot and should not be standardized.
Those one one one coaching sessions should be augmented with weekly proactive asynchronous messages (what we call “Nudges”).
Ideal “Nudges” are concise (think the length of a tweet) and reference specific progress or information gathered since the last conversation, how it connects to their larger goals or their “Why”, and call them to further action.
Use that recipe regularly in personal coaching relationships and you’ll see trust, engagement and your impact on clients’ lives grow and grow.
Example Sequences you can use to scale your personal coaching programs
One of the first and most important details we help our Done For You (DFY) partners with is deciding the duration of their program. There’s no right or wrong length as long as it’s long enough to be effective, but not so long that we lose engagement.
Different programs are better suited for different lengths, so let’s take a look at some examples.
The 7-Day Program
This program could be designed around something not meant to be a sustainable fixture in your client’s life. An example of this would be a detox or cleanse. We’re not suggesting a new norm for the client, but just a reboot of some kind.
Another way to look at this type of program is as a jumpstart. Maybe you’re creating a challenge to get folks writing each morning or drinking more water. Focusing on a 7-day period is a great way to do this. You could even include a leaderboard, and make your challenge into a competition.
This program length is also a nice choice for creating an introductory experience that you can use as a lead capture. This is a free program designed to introduce folks to your brand, coaching style, expertise, etc. The goal is to build trust and show that you can help them achieve their goals. Once you’ve done that by letting them get to know how you work for 7-days, you can upsell them to a paid program or your one on one coaching services.
The 3-Week Program
This is definitely one of the most popular kinds of programs. It’s long enough to make a difference for participants, but not so long that they lose interest. It also fits nicely within a month, which, for most people, feels like a digestible amount of time to commit to something.
Consider using this format for an intensive course during which new content is delivered daily or close to daily. Nothing major each day, but little nuggets of new information.
This is also a nice fit for corporate programs. Some businesses are hesitant to commit to working with a contracted coach for longer than a month especially if it’s a new relationship. Pitching a program just shy of a month can be a good place to start.
The 5-Week Program
This is where we have to be careful not to have folks dropping off. Keeping our participants engaged with a longer program like this is totally possible, but we just have to be thoughtful with how we structure it.
Keep the emphasis on long-term habit building or educating on larger topics. You can add a new module or lesson each week followed by daily reinforcement. Consider using push notifications to remind folks to return back for new content from you, so they don’t miss a thing!
What are some 1:1 use cases?
Onboarding is the perfect place to try out a sequence with your 1:1 clients. Some administrative parts of the onboarding process like asking people to sign waivers and talking about payment can feel a little awkward especially when we are just starting out in coaching.
Having these things go out automatically as part of a sequence can ease the discomfort and make it really easy for you to just refer back to the card if a client hasn’t completed that portion of onboarding yet.
Another favorite use of sequences with 1:1 clients is the ability to streamline part of your coaching. I’ve spent literally years trying to refine my coaching so I can stop redesigning the wheel for each client while still offering personalized information and programs.
I felt like there would be at least one subject each week that I would find myself explaining over and over to a handful of different clients. If you create a mini-sequence (think 3-5 cards) with this information, you can assign it as a one-off program to each client and save your breath and a lot of time.
For example, if I have a client who is struggling with giving up dairy, but that’s only one of the areas we’re working on (I don’t run a dairy coaching business and not all of my clients are working on this), I can assign my 3-day dairy sequence that will walk the client through information like sources of hidden dairy, recipes, and other resources that I would otherwise have to assemble each time this came up.
Of course, there will still be some totally one-off situations and recommendations with clients, but you can at least start building a library of mini-sequences for common things.
The last example I’ll share here is using a sequence alongside your one on one coaching work.
Consider creating a 1-2-week sequence each month or quarter. You can offer this complementary to existing clients or as a lower price option for folks you’d like to upsell into your 1:1 services. There are two benefits to this. One is as a source of revenue, and the second is as a way to increase value for existing clients.
Your clients will appreciate having something fresh and new to engage with each month or quarter, and will be more likely to stick around.
